RECIPE - An Alexandria-inspired steak sandwich

Not far from the Corniche along the Eastern Harbour in Alexandria, Egypt, there is El Fallah, a tiny place that only makes one thing: liver sandwiches.

You say liver sandwich in Alexandria, and people know you are talking about this spot — it’s so famous that the owner has dozens of pictures of himself posing with Egyptian celebrities.

The reason the sandwich works is that the meat is cut paper-thin and is generously seasoned with spices. That liver sandwich inspired this recipe in my book My Egypt, made with rib-eye, which applies similar flavours to steak sliced super-thin (as in Philly cheesesteak thin).

If you would rather make the sandwich with beef liver instead of steak, slice the liver in half horizontally, season generously with salt and pepper, and brush with the garlic butter used in this recipe. Broil the liver for 1 to 2 minutes or until brown on the outside and slightly pink in the centre. Let it cool for a couple of minutes, then slice it crosswise and add it to the bowl with the cooked shallots and other fixings.

You can make the garlic butter ahead and refrigerate it with the garlic cloves inside. This recipe makes more garlic butter than you need, but the extra keeps, sealed in an airtight container, for a month, ready to be pulled out and used to make many other things, like garlic bread or scampi.

ALEXANDRIA’S STEAK SANDWICHES

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

GARLIC BUTTER:

¼ pound (113g) unsalted butter

5 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed

¼ teaspoon fine sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

SANDWICH:

4 soft French sandwich rolls, cut in half and toasted, cut side up

2 boneless rib-eye or New York strip steaks (about 12 ounces / 340 g each)

1 teaspoon vegetable oil

Fine sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

3 shallots, thinly sliced

1 small hot pepper (Anaheim or jalapeño), thinly sliced crosswise

½ teaspoon ground cumin

½ teaspoon ground turmeric

½ teaspoon paprika

1 lime, halved

1 handful cilantro sprigs

DIRECTIONS

1. To make the garlic butter, in a small saucepan, melt the butter with the garlic over medium heat for about 2 minutes. Season with salt and a few pinches of pepper, and let cool to a warm room temperature, about 10 minutes.

2. Using a pastry brush, lightly coat the cut side of the sandwich rolls with the garlic butter, about 1 tablespoon per roll.

3. Trim some of the fat from the steak and save it to render in the pan. Cut away any gristle. Slice each steak in half crosswise, then slice thinly across the grain into 3- to 4-inch- (7.5 to 10 cm) long pieces (try to get as close as you can to Philly cheesesteak thinness with the slices).

4. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, render the saved beef fat for 1 minute, then remove (it’s OK if not much fat comes out). Add the oil and heat for a few seconds, then add the sliced steak and sear briefly, turning the pieces once or twice and seasoning with a few pinches of salt and a generous pinch of pepper until the beef is cooked through, about 2 minutes. Transfer the beef and any juices to a heatproof bowl and keep warm.